Fatah promises "to turn Tel Aviv into a ball of fire," promotes West Bank violence and boasts
about rocket attack on Israeli town

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

As rockets from Gaza continue to target and land on Israeli cities, Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement is using Abbas' speech last week as a trigger for more violence. Fatah threatens "to turn Tel Aviv into a ball of fire," takes credit for several rockets fired into Israel in the last 24 hours and boasts that "throughout history our movement's hand was the strongest hand in the confrontation with the occupation (i.e., Israel) and still is."

All the above quotes appeared in different posts today on Fatah's official Facebook "Main Page."

Immediately after Abbas' words, the video shows scenes of West Bank violence, directly connecting Abbas' words to the violence.

Fatah also re-posted a video posted earlier this year by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, promising to "turn Tel Aviv into a ball of fire":

Text: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Palestine"

Speaker: "The enemy (i.e., Israel) must understand that the Martyr Commander Nidal Al-Amoudi left behind an army of well-trained fighters. We swear to you that we will turn the beloved [Gaza] Strip into a graveyard for your soldiers, and we will turn Tel Aviv into a ball of fire. Ball of fire..."Song: "We are going on the way. We are the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' [Brigades]
Oh usurper, don't forget it."

Fatah also posted the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' summary of activities for the latest 24 hours, which included a rocket attack on an Israeli town:

"Summary of military operations over the past 24 hours - Sunday, July 27, 2014... A military communique from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing) Nidal Al-Amoudi Division: ... Shelling of the Kfar Aza settlement (i.e., Israeli town close to the Gaza Strip) with three 107 model rockets at 1:16"

[Fatah - "The Main Page," July 28, 2014]

Finally, Fatah boasted that it "holds the world cup for fighting" and has led the violence against Israel, claiming falsely to have killed 667 Israeli soldiers and injuring 150,000 in 1982:

Text: "Fatah joyfully welcomes the Palestinian resistance. Our men are on the frontline of the confrontation in all sectors. We will never tire of reiterating that throughout history, our movement's hand was the strongest hand in the confrontation with the occupation and still is. Don't forget that the occupation, in its confrontation with our army in 1982, lost 667 dead and 150,000 wounded - far more than it ever lost before or since in such a short period, which lasted [just] 88 days. The great ability we demonstrated in the second Intifada (i.e., PA terror campaign 2000-2005) is well known. Our presence on the ground now can be testified to. There is no resistance without Fatah. Allah is with the resistance, both now and in the future. Let the members of Fatah stand proud. Fatah still holds the world cup for fighting, thanks to its long presence on the ground, the enemy's huge losses in its confrontations with it [Fatah], as well as its [Fatah's] numerous Martyrs (Shahids), wounded and prisoners."

The following is the complete transcript of the video Fatah posted on Facebook that used Abbas' speech to trigger for violence:

Caption: "Fatah - The Main Page"

Abbas: "In the name of Allah the Merciful 'Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.'"
Song starts:
"Protect the sanctuary and protect them
Knights of the sanctuary are holding the flags
Whenever they [Israelis] go crazy, and when our eyes are closed
We open our eyes on the sanctuary and its borders
When the land calls its men, it finds us as shining swords
There's nothing more precious. We kneel only to the Creator
When the land calls its men, it finds us as shining swords
There's nothing more precious. We kneel only to the Creator."